Cody Duckworth & Jonathan de la Luz
Austin has become a hot spot for independent film production and our guest speakers on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, at the Network Austin Mixer will be writer/director Cody Duckworth & producer Jonathan de la Luz, who along with other talented actors, crew members and creative minds, recently finished their feature film “Harbinger”, which was filmed entirely in Texas with a Hispanic cast. The movie is in English and Spanish with subtitles and is currently being submitted to film festivals around the world. These filmmakers will discuss many aspects of the making of this unique film and will screen the “Harbinger” trailer as a jumping off point for an exciting and informative evening about how this production was entirely mounted in East Texas and filmed here in Austin and around Wimberley using local cast and crew.
Read more about Cody Duckworth & Jonanthan de la Luz, become a fan of “Harbinger” on Facebook, and see the press release about “Harbinger”, below.
So join us on Wednesday, September 9th, arrive early for a “Happy Hour” cold margarita, network and meet new folks with like minds, enjoy a fun-filled evening with other guests, and get insights about “Harbinger” from writer/director Cody Duckworth and producer Jonathan de la Luz!
We are so grateful for Carlton Caudle, our guest speaker on Wednesday, August 12th, for inspiring actors about how to get started acting, audition (and submit even if you aren’t represented), get an agent, land speaking roles in movies and TV, get noticed via social media sites, and how to take care of you while you continue to be told “NO”. Carlton thinks outside the box, creates opportunities, and shared what he learned, along with what he would do differently. Carlton also manages the Central Texas Actors Group (CTAG), which boasts casting directors & talent agents among its members. An actor support group, CTAG has over 900 members and 1,500 in the queue requesting to join. CTAG offers get-together meetings, information, and advice on booking, acting classes, carpooling, volunteer opportunities, and much more. Thank you, Carlton, for your time, passion, and wisdom. Our attendees learned a lot!
Pass along our website and check it for details about each month’s speaker(s)!
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NOTICE: We all know rush hour traffic is horrendous, so.… Please carpool and leave in time to arrive early. If Baby Acapulco’s parking lot is full:
- You may park at the Super 8 Motel (just south of Baby A’s) for $8. Be sure to pay the desk person at Super 8 Motel when you park there so your vehicle doesn’t get towed and DO NOT PARK IN FRONT OF DUMPSTERS!
- If you drive south another 2 blocks, there is on-the-street parking available.
Mixing & Networking begin @ 6PM, then the Speakers start @ 6:45.
“HARBINGER” PRESS RELEASE
Austin Film Company Luzworks Produces Contemporary Fairytale
Source: luzworks
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin-based entertainment company luzworks has recently completed filming its flagship production, titled “Harbinger”, a contemporary cautionary fairy tale that follows a little girl and her family who leave the city for an idyllic location to escape her nightmares, only to find more horrific experiences in reality than could she ever have dreamed.
The homegrown fantasy-thriller stars Dimitrius Pulido and Tina Rodriguez and introduces 12-year old Paeka Campos. The movie was directed by Cody Duckworth, who also wrote the original screenplay. “Harbinger” is a contemporary fairy tale in the classic tradition of the Brothers Grimm stories or Aesop’s Fables”, announces Jonathan de la Luz, the movie’s producer. “But it’s also cautionary tale about the times we live in where technologies such as fracking go unchecked”, he adds cryptically.
Literature is rich with examples of tales that were not only intended for children, but for adults as well. “Harbinger” does not owe its story line to classic folklore, however. Just as Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a message about innocent children seeing things more clearly than adults, “Harbinger” stresses an environmental theme that is current and socially significant for all ages. The film’s tag line reveals as much: “Water is the force of all that is natural. Until now.”
The story concerns eleven year-old Mira, who has begun having terrible dreams. As Mira’s haunting nightmares escalate, her father moves with Mira and her very pregnant mother away from the city to a secluded ranch for some much-needed family healing. But the beauty of their idyllic surroundings is marred, however, by monolithic hydraulic fracking towers nearby.
“I love the magic of storytelling,” intones director Cody Duckworth, “When I was a kid, the whole world seemed all at once magical and frightening. Adults need more fairy tales in their lives. It helps explain the real world in a less invasive way…because Marvel comic-book characters can only do so much.” One of the unique features of “Harbinger” is its Hispanic cast. According to movie’s Casting Associate, Lupe Valdez, “We tossed a wide net for our casting calls from Texas to California. It turns out we have an incredible talent pool in our own backyard. We ended up with cast members from Austin and Dallas.” De la Luz said, “That’s the way Cody wrote the script. And honestly, it could have been any kind of family. That’s what attracted me to the story. If there is such a thing as an ‘every man’ then there is an ‘every family’. This is a universal story. It could happen anytime, anywhere.”
“Harbinger” was filmed at various locations in Austin, but the filmmaker’s real find was a location in Fischer, Texas, a little over an hour outside of Austin. The hallmark of any great fairy tale, according to the filmmakers, is the enchanted landscape in which the story is set. In the case of “Harbinger”, that was Rancho Mirando, where a beautiful spiraling hacienda overlooks a great deal of Hill Country. “It was a perfect setting for our fairy tale to unfold…great beauty mixed with the dark sinister undertones of our characters,” recounts de la Luz.
Duckworth is excited about his directorial debut, “A story-teller’s greatest tool is the human experience, and that’s our common denominator. We’re all in this together.”
We are extremely proud to have Brian Gannon as our guest speaker on Wednesday, December 9th! Brian has worked as the Film & Marketing Manager at the Austin Film Commission for 3 years prior to becoming the Commission’s Director. Prior to his time at the Austin Film Commission, Brian gained production experience working in different capacities on numerous film projects including working on productions at Detour and Troublemaker Studios. Over the years Brian has also worked at the Texas Film Commission as a Production Liaison.